This image represents a new type of gamma-ray burster (GRB), which lasts much longer than those found previously. Until now, GRBs created during the death throes of massive stars, or when stars collide were not known to last more than a few minutes. But in a new class of GRB the event goes on for far longer, up to several hours. These are thought to be created when a very massive red supergiant star (foreground), hundreds of times heavier and bigger than the Sun, collapses to form a black hole in a supernova explosion. Jets of rapidly moving subatomic particles pierce the star's poles just before collapse, and erupt into space. In the more usual GRBs, the progenitor is a blue supergiant (background), still massive but puny compared to red supergiant stars. The huge size of the new red supergiant progenitors are what enables to burst to last so long.